Monday, January 19, 2015

In 1916, Clarence Saunders opened a revolutionary grocery
store in Memphis, Tennessee: instead of having a clerk fetch items, you picked
out your own groceries, put them in a cart, and took them to the front of the
store to be checked out. Independent franchisees now operate over 600 Piggly
Wiggly stores in 17 states, mostly in the Midwest and South. The company,
headquartered in Keene, New Hampshire, is an affiliate of C&S Wholesale
Grocers. Its About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: A

Products/Services: A

Piggly Wiggly’s About Us page is a great example of how much
business history can be packed into a single page. It starts by describing
Piggly Wiggly’s history as the first true self-service grocery store. Separate headings
cover the origin of the lilting name, a list of Piggly Wiggly firsts, a bio of
the founder after he left Piggly Wiggly, and a summary of Piggly Wiggly today. All
this is laid out in paragraphs of manageable size and illustrated with logos
old and new, plus two archival photos. Our Commandment 5
of About Us Pages is, “Honor they readers and their attention spans.” Piggly
Wiggly does that with a page of fact-filled, easy-to-read corporate
storytelling. Well done!

Personality: A

The connecting link for independently run Piggly Wiggly
stores is the concept created by Clarence Saunders, who’s appropriately given a
lot of space on the About Us page. Although Piggly Wiggly is now affiliated
with the mammoth C&S Wholesale Grocers, Clarence Saunders’ DNA continues to
make Piggly Wiggly distinctive—no mean feat as the brand approaches its
100-year business anniversary in 2016.

Accessibility: A

The Contact
page (available via a link at the upper right) has an online email form for
corporate headquarters, plus an easy-to-navigate directory for those who want
to contact a specific store.

TAKEAWAY

A single page that includes the right content with an
enticing layout and illustrations can be very effective.

Does your Web site’s “About Us” section
accurately convey your organization’s history and capabilities? Every two weeks
we evaluate one example, grading it in three areas that are key to potential
customers: Personality (Who are you?), Products/Services (What can you do for
us?), and Accessibility (How can we reach you?). To talk about your About Us
page, contact us!

Today’s example was chosen at random;
CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

Monday, January 12, 2015

The Metropolitan Transit Authority, those folks who bring us the New York City subways and buses, is celebrating its 110th year. MTA's commemorative website is robust and well-organized, as befits an organization with professionally managed archives. CorporateHistory.net president Marian Calabro was filmed there when she gave commentary on pneumatic subway pioneer Alfred Beach for The Travel Channel's program "Mysteries at the Museum." It took awhile for non-pneumatic subways to develop; the first predecessor line of the MTA officially opened on October 27, 1904, so the 110-year party has 10 months to rock on.

IRT map 1939 (copyright MTA)

Cool things about the MTA anniversary site that any organization can emulate:1. Loads of pix and memorabilia, including maps, many also uploaded to Flickr2. Google translate button appears on every page, a courtesy that helps a worldwide audience3. MTA wasn't afraid to celebrate 110 years. Why wait until 125?

Things that can be better:1. Timeline is not labeled as such (it's under History of the Subway), is overly detailed, and only extends to 2012, a very weird omission2. There's a link to MTA Arts & Design, but when clicked, this unwelcoming message pops up: "There are currently no Open Calls to artists. Please check back again." Why not run a yearlong 110th anniversary call for art instead?

Monday, January 5, 2015

Kidde was founded in 1917 by Walter Kidde, who in 1918
pioneered the first integrated smoke detection and carbon dioxide extinguishing
system for ships. The company, headquartered in Mebane, North Carolina, rapidly
became a leading manufacturer of fire detection and suppression equipment. It
was acquired by United Technologies Corporation in 2005. The main About Us page
is here.

OVERALL GRADE: C

Products/Services: B

Kidde’s main About page gets right
to the point: “Founded by Walter Kidde, a pioneer in early smoke detection and
fire suppression, Kidde is the world’s largest manufacturer of fire safety
products.” Well done: it’s surprising how few About Us pages express such basic
business history information promptly and pithily. The page continues with a
well-written and well-laid-out overview of the company’s history, goals, and
relationships with clients.

Bravo, too, for giving a very company-specific goal on the Core Values
page: “At Kidde, our mission is to provide solutions that protect people and property
from the effects of fire and its related hazards. And for more than 90 years,
industry leaders, the military, airlines, firefighters, businesses and millions
of homeowners have turned to us to do exactly that.”

The page on Walter Kidde
includes an effective combination of a brief timeline followed by a narrative
that explains his goals and accomplishments. The Kidde
History page offers a company timeline with 24 items, a reasonable number that
doesn’t overload the visitor. One minor quibble: the entries for the 1960s and
later focus on mergers and acquisitions; why not include some information on
the company’s innovations?

The major flaw of the four Kidde About Us pages is lack of
illustrations. The one and only image is of Walter Kidde. Our Commandment 6
of About Us pages is, “Honor thy visuals.” A company with a 98-year history
surely has a rich archive of historical photos and advertising material that
could be put to good use in corporate storytelling.

Personality: C

Our Commandment 3
of About Us pages is, “Reveal they personality.” Since this company still
bears Walter Kidde’s name and still produces products in the same line, the
stress on the founder’s innovations and goals is very appropriate. Still, information
on current management--a message from the CEO, for example--would be welcome.

Accessibility: D

The Contact Us
page has a “Find Answers Now” button that dead-ends in a blank page.
The FAQ seems to have been shifted to tabs that appear on the page with the online email form (via the "Email a Question" button on the Contact Us page). Yes, visitors may stumble onto the right page--but making them
stumble leaves a bad impression. Our Commandment 9
of About Us Pages is “Worship clarity”--which includes triple-checking links
so you don’t look careless.

At the end of the Contact Us page is a telephone number, but
no mailing address. Kidde is part of United Technologies, but there are no
links to the United Technologies contact page, either.

TAKEAWAY

Great corporate history should be supplemented with great
images and current information. That’s doubly important when a 100-year
business anniversary is on the horizon, as Kidde’s is.

Does your Web site’s “About Us” section
accurately convey your organization’s history and capabilities? Every two weeks
we evaluate one example, grading it in three areas that are key to potential
customers: Personality (Who are you?), Products/Services (What can you do for
us?), and Accessibility (How can we reach you?). To talk about your About Us
page, contact us!

Today’s example was chosen at random;
CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

CorporateHistory.net can help you turn your company history into an effective and beautiful book, DVD, Web site, keynote speech, or campaign. Whether you want to celebrate a company anniversary, honor a retiring CEO, or strategize your corporate storytelling, CorporateHistory.net can help. We believe organizations suffer when their memory erodes, just as people do. Your institutional memory is a stranded asset until you put it to work. Then it becomes a powerful, cost-effective tool for marketing, community relations, and employee pride.Please visit our website:http://www.corporatehistory.net/